Lumpskie's Prospector (Diesel Power Wagon) Build

[Lumpskie]

I did an oopsie on my front bumper. I wanted to get you guys a picture of the truck flexing out with the passenger side high but was in a hurry to get other stuff done. Without a spotter, my approach angle was wrong on my flex rock and I bumped my front bumper. I am impressed by how it held up because the bump was hard enough to stop the truck

I had a black paint pen and tried to blend everything in to fix:

Also... my Softopper hasn't been perfect. We had a day where it rained for at least 6 hours... it was a real test for the waterproofness (made up a word there) of the topper. I discovered what looks like the nylon straps allowing water to seep through. I think what happened is that the straps got water logged and, since they are continuous from outside to inside, just sealing the seam wasn't enough. Here's the amount of leakage after basically a full day of rain:

So, I had an idea to help reduce this. I seam sealed the nylon strap itself on the outside:

This is tricky because they say that you can see the dried seam sealer if you get it on the topper itself. I think I did a good enough job that you can't tell:

It rained last night... I'll go out and check to see how it did later.

 

[Lumpskie]

I told myself "quit being lazy" and went out to see how the fix did. I don't know how long it rained last night but the results look promising!

 

[loveracing1988]

First off they do sell touch up paint for you bumpers... Secondly I have that same problem with my pop up hunting blind and it sucks, hopefully you've fixed it for real

 

[Lumpskie]

Ordered AEV touchup paint... might hit a touchless carwash later this week as a solid test

 

[Lumpskie]

Here's something a little different. I was able to get a Starlink and ended up buying it, not knowing exactly how I'd use it. Ive been really curious about using it in a mobile application. It arrived this weekend and I had a chance to play with it a bit. I simply plugged the terminal station into the Ram ac outlet and got it running. The application on my phone and dish worked perfectly. I've got internet at home, so I don't really NEED it. But, if speeds are as good as my home internet and it doesn't drop out, it is about half the price... At any rate, I want to drive all over the place and set it up now, just to see how it connects. I requested to go "full remote" at work. I could see this being pretty cool if that request is granted.

Speed was really good there too. The slowest speed I saw was 433 Mbps and fastest was 715, according to my phone:

If would be fun to take this somewhere more remote where there definitely isn't any service... just to play around with it a bit.

 

[UglyViking]

I've been toying with one as well. I thought it would be pretty cool to have high speed internet in the camper since I also just recently went full time remote. I think as of right now the cost is a bit high but the network speeds you're seeing are over 2x advertised. That said, their monthly service cost is currently listed at $120 which is the same I'm paying for Comcast except I'm getting 1200 Mbps. I think the real seller is rural communities here. Still interested in how it works though!

 

[Lumpskie]

I've been toying with one as well. I thought it would be pretty cool to have high speed internet in the camper since I also just recently went full time remote. I think as of right now the cost is a bit high but the network speeds you're seeing are over 2x advertised. That said, their monthly service cost is currently listed at $120 which is the same I'm paying for Comcast except I'm getting 1200 Mbps. I think the real seller is rural communities here. Still interested in how it works though!

Yeah, the mobile and rural aspect is what is the draw for me. I like the idea of crossing the country and having wifi fast enough for video meetings. I looked up my internet speed on my Comcast home network this morning and got a speed of 390Mbps. I don't typically check my internet speed, so I don't know if that's typical or not. I can say that my internet speed at home allows me to conduct video conferences while my family streams on the TV. If the Starlink can do that, it will do everything I need. I might just set it up on the back deck today and play with it a little more.

 

[Lumpskie]

Cool technology - thanks for the introduction. My hope is that the technology becomes smaller, even more reliable, and cost drops. Over one hundred per month is pretty high but then again to be able to access high speed interweb from anywhere...hmmm.

Yeah, I don't have a solid use case for my dish yet. But... if I had your rig, I would absolutely permanent mount the dish to the roof of the camper. I know of someone who did that and has gotten internet all the way from eastern Canada to Baja in Mexico.


I played around with the setup at the house today and found the speed to still be pretty good off the back porch. The wireless router isn't the strongest though.

 

[MtnRider]

Here's something a little different. I was able to get a Starlink and ended up buying it, not knowing exactly how I'd use it. Ive been really curious about using it in a mobile application. It arrived this weekend and I had a chance to play with it a bit. I simply plugged the terminal station into the Ram ac outlet and got it running. The application on my phone and dish worked perfectly. I've got internet at home, so I don't really NEED it. But, if speeds are as good as my home internet and it doesn't drop out, it is about half the price... At any rate, I want to drive all over the place and set it up now, just to see how it connects. I requested to go "full remote" at work. I could see this being pretty cool if that request is granted.

Speed was really good there too. The slowest speed I saw was 433 Mbps and fastest was 715, according to my phone:

If would be fun to take this somewhere more remote where there definitely isn't any service... just to play around with it a bit.

I need to look into this, my home internet is only 25Mbps Lol. I assume this does both down and uplink over the satellite? It's not using a terrestrial source for uplinks like the older sat internet did?


.

 

[Lumpskie]

I need to look into this, my home internet is only 25Mbps Lol. I assume this does both down and uplink over the satellite? It's not using a terrestrial source for uplinks like the older sat internet did?


.

You got it... both uplink and down are over satellite. I'm finding upload speed to be between 10 and 20 Mbps. So far, I think the setup is neat and has a lot of potential for mobile and off grid use.

 

[Lumpskie]

Dumb question for you guys... I did my first oil change yesterday. I put 12 quarts back in. Before firing the engine, I check the level and it looked high. I figured, the engine needed to cycle the oil and fill the filter. So, I fired it up and pressure looked good. After that, I shut it down and checked the oil again. This time, it looked low. I waited a few minutes to let the oil settle and then it looked high again. I'm sure the manual explains this, but can you guys fill me in on the procedure for checking the oil level?

 

[G Mcpherson]

You should be fine. On my 18 it always showed high after letting it sit. Your procedure is correct.

 

[Lumpskie]

Another dumb question for you guys. Can the "Bed utility group" be added to my bed? Right now, I have just a metal bed with a spray in bed liner. I'd love to have the 400 watt AC power and LED lighting back there. What do you guys think?

 

[Darkone]

There is a kit to be able to add the bed lights to trucks not equipped with them. I believe the 19+ have the wiring present but don’t quote me on that. The inverter I’m not sure if it could be retrofitted, but I would look into an after market with a higher watts that you could do more with. I have the 400 and it works for charging batteries on cordless tools and charging small things but it really doesn’t have enough to do much

 

[Lumpskie]

There is a kit to be able to add the bed lights to trucks not equipped with them. I believe the 19+ have the wiring present but don’t quote me on that. The inverter I’m not sure if it could be retrofitted, but I would look into an after market with a higher watts that you could do more with. I have the 400 and it works for charging batteries on cordless tools and charging small things but it really doesn’t have enough to do much

Bummer. I think you might be right.

I found this light kit:

https://store.mopar.com/oem-parts/mopar-bed-light-kit-82215272ac?c=bD0xMiZuPVNlYXJjaCBSZXN1bHRz

But I didn't see anything for rear AC power. Do you know of an aftermarket option that you would recommend?

 

[Darkone]

@Lumpskie If I was going to do any kind of AC power I would fine a good pure sine inverter and mount it in the cab or bed somewhere if you have a cover and go that route

 

[Lumpskie]

Had a good Friday, on Good Friday. I got to meet @UglyViking and also ordered an S&S CP3 no-tune pump from 2D diesel in Bow, NH. I had a good time at the shop and got to ride in trucks with different setups. On Easter, I got to try out the Starlink in a more remote location. It worked great, even on a video call.

I hung out in the back of the truck with the kids and we watched a little Youtube together. I like the setup and am learning how to use it better each time.

 

[UglyViking]

Was a good time hanging out, truck looks even better in person too!

 

[Lumpskie]

Do any of you guys know reputable auto shippers?

 

[Lumpskie]

Serious build thread stuff going on here.

My rear bumper had been scuffed and rusting since I bought it. So, I did some Corroseal on it:

Then painted it:

Also... I got to compare my wierd suspension setup to a 3rd gen Ram 3500 on a full Carli lift. I climbed 24.5".... Front Driver was on the bump stop... passenger was 4.75" from the bump stop... rear driver was 7.5" from the bump and passenger was 1.5" from the bump stop:

My buddy's 3rd gen climbed 21.5", but he still had his front swaybar attached:

On road impression: With no front sway but stiff stock springs, my rig felt almost identical to his rig with softer front springs and a sway bar. We were both shocked.